2025 SACSCOC Reaffirmation
Philosophy
Rollins College’s institutional accreditor, The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC or Commission), conducts a comprehensive review of its member institutions once every 10 years. Reaffirmation of institutional accreditation requires the College to conduct a comprehensive compliance audit of all programs and courses offered by the College on- and off-campus, and through distance education, prior to preparing a Compliance Certification Report (CCR) demonstrating and documenting compliance with all standards described in the SACSCOC Principles of Accreditation. The CCR attests to the institution’s honest assessment of compliance with the accreditation requirements of the Commission as applied to all aspects of the institution. The CCR is reviewed by a team of off-site peers, an onsite peer review team, and the SACSCOC Board of Trustees.
The College must also to develop and submit a Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) demonstration project as part of the reaffirmation process. The QEP project must be identified through institutional planning processes, have broad-based support from institutional constituencies, and be focused on improving specific learning outcomes and/or student success. The QEP project spans a five-year period and requires vigorous assessment of effectiveness, which is reported to SACSCOC through a QEP Impact Report required as part of the College’s Fifth-Year Interim Report to the Commission.
Components of the Compliance Certification Report (CCR) for Rollins
- I. Signature(s) Attesting to Integrity
- II. List of Substantive Changes Approved Since the 2015 Reaffirmation
- III. Institutional Assessment of Compliance (including QEP Proposal)
- IV. Institutional Summary Form
Standards Under Review
(Bold = Core Requirements)
- Section 1: The Principle of Integrity
1.1 [CR] Integrity - Section 2: Mission
2.1 [CR] Institutional Mission - Section 3: Basic Eligibility Standards
3.1.a [CR] Degree-Granting Authority
3.1.b [CR] Course Work for Degrees
3.1.c [CR] Continuous Operation - Section 4: Governing Board
4.1 [CR] Board Characteristics
4.2.a Mission Review
4.2.b Board/Administrative Distinction
4.2.c CEO Evaluation/Selection
4.2.d Conflict of Interest
4.2.e Board Dismissal
4.2.f External Influence
4.2.g Board Self-Evaluation
4.3 Multi-Level Governance - Section 5: Admin & Organization
5.1 [CR] Chief Executive Officer
5.2.a CEO Control
5.2.b Control of Intercollegiate Athletics
5.2.c Control of Fund-Raising Activities
5.3 Institution-Related Entities
5.4 Qualified Admin/Academic Officers
5.5 Personnel Appointment & Evaluation - Section 6: Faculty
6.1 [CR] Full-Time Faculty
6.2.a Faculty Qualifications
6.2.b Program Faculty
6.2.c Program Coordination
6.3 Faculty Appointment & Evaluation
6.4 Academic Freedom
6.5 Faculty Development - Section 7: Planning & Effectiveness
7.1 [CR] Institutional Planning
7.2 Quality Enhancement Plan
7.3 Administrative Effectiveness - Section 8: Student Achievement
8.1 [CR] Student Achievement
8.2.a. Student Outcomes: Educational Programs
8.2.b Student Outcomes: General Education
8.2.c Student Outcomes: Academic/Student Svcs - Section 9: Ed Program Structure & Content
9.1 [CR] Program Content
9.2 [CR] Program Length
9.3 [CR] General Education Requirements
9.4 Credits: Undergraduate Degrees
9.5 Credits: Graduate/Professional Degrees
9.6 Post-Baccalaureate Rigor & Curriculum
9.7 Program Requirements - Section 10. Ed Policies, Procedures, Practices
10.1 Academic Policies
10.2 Public Information
10.3 Archived Information
10.4 Academic Governance
10.5 Admissions Policies & Practices
10.6 Distance & Correspondence Education
10.7 Policies for Awarding Credit
10.8 Evaluating & awarding Academic Credit
10.9 Cooperative Academic Arrangements - Section 11. Library & Learning/Info Rscs
11.1 [CR] Library & Learning/Info Rscs
11.2 Library & Learning/Info Staff
11.3 Library & Learning/Info Access - Section 12: Academic & Student Support Svcs
12.1 [CR] Student Support Svcs
12.2 Student Support Svcs Staff
12.3 Student Rights
12.4 Student Complaints
12.5 Student Records
12.6 Student Debt - Section 13. Financial & Physical Resources
13.1 [CR] Financial Resources
13.2 [CR] Financial Documents
13.3 Financial Responsibility
13.4 Control of Finances
13.5 Control of Sponsored Rsch/External Funds
13.6 Federal & State Responsibilities
13.7 Physical Resources
13.8 Institutional Environment - Section 14. Transparency & Representation
14.1 Publication of Accreditation Status
14.2 Substantive Change
14.3 Comprehensive Institutional Reviews
14.4 Representation to Other Agencies
14.5 Policy Compliance
Academic Year 2021-2022 (August 2021-May 2022): PREPARATION YEAR
- Preparation Year (Note: Ongoing processes are necessary to fulfill reaffirmation requirements. Rollins strives to meet its commitment to accreditation standards.)
- Establishment of Structure(s) for the Process (i.e., early discussions on committees and requirements)
- Request for Participation in Differentiated Review Submitted to SACSCOC (June)
Academic Year 2022-2023 (August 2022-May 2023): SYSTEMS AND TRAINING YEAR
- Fall 2022
- Accreditation Leadership Team (ALT) Affirmed (October)
- Participation in Differentiated Review Approved by SACSCOC (October)
- Exploration of Possible Topics for the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) and Possible Planning Committee
- ALT Reviews Mapping of Writing Assignment Plans (November)
- SACSCOC Reaffirmation Class of 2025 Orientation with Senior Staff (December)
- Spring 2023
- Demonstration of Learning Team (DLT) Affirmed (January)
- Round One Writing Assignments Distributed
- Summer 2023
- Round Two Writing Assignments Distributed
Academic Year 2023-2024 (August 2023- May 2024): WRITING “SNAPSHOT” YEAR
- Fall 2023
- QEP Topic Development Committee Named/Charged
- Round Three Writing Assignments Distributed; Due November 30
- Round Four Writing Assignment Distributed
- Editing of Round One, Two, and Three Narratives/Uploading of Evidence
- Troubleshoot Areas of Concern
- Spring 2024
- Round Four Writing Assignments: Due May 1
- Editing of Round Four Narratives/Uploading of Evidence
- Summer 2024
- Round Five Writing Assignments: Due July 15
- Finalize All Narratives and Evidence
- Produce Final Report in Xitracs
- Final Draft of QEP Proposal Due (August 15)
Academic Year 2024-2025 (August 2024-May 2025): SUBMISSION YEAR
- September 6, 2024: QEP Lead Evaluator Nomination Due
- September 8, 2024: Reaffirmation Compliance Report Due to SACSCOC
- November 5-8, 2024: SACSCOC Off-Site Committee Reviews Rollins’ Compliance Report
- February 3, 2025: Response Report (if any) and QEP Proposal and Due to SACSCOC (Six weeks prior to On-Site Visit)
- March 17-20, 2025: On-Site Review
Academic Year 2025-2026 (August 2025-May 2026): REAFFIRMATION YEAR
- August 17, 2025: Response to On-Site Committee Report (if any) Due to SACSCOC (Five months after On-Site Visit)
- December 4-7, 2025: SACSCOC Board of Trustees Action
Last Updated: 8-17-2024